Re-writing History
by RhythmAndTime
Summary: Little re-takes on what I personally would've liked to see happen, from when Bates left Anna to Robert and Jane's little affair. Mostly written for humour, with all characters being completely OOC :)
1. Unexpected

**_A/N- Hey ya'll. This….was…different. I wrote it for a couple of friends, who asked me to write a different meeting between Anna and Bates, after Anna found out where he was working and this happened. I know the characters are *completely* OOC, but that's what I was aiming for :) Please review and tell me what you think. I might continue, writing mini stories in the same style, but it all depends…._**

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Downton Abbey or any of the characters, I just make them suffer by having to put up with me_**

_1. Unexpected _

John Bates sighed and made his way slowly up the creaking wooden stairs of the Red Lion Pub. Ever since Vera and shown up and blackmailed him into leaving Downton, his life had been miserable. The one thing though, that really saddened him, was the prospect of never seeing Anna again. Every night, he recalled the moment when he left her, how she had begged him to stay. But he'd turned her away. Left her with a broken heart. John would do anything to fix it, but he knew he couldn't. Not yet, anyway. He reached the top of the stairs, cane tapping lightly on the old floorboards. He limped to the end of the corridor, where a storeroom had been turned into a small sitting room for employees during their breaks. He reached the oak door, pushed it open and stepped inside. A light breeze drifted through the window, which had been left slightly open. Sighing, he moved to close it when someone shoved him back against the wall. John was too shocked to react and hit the wall. No pain, just utter shock. The real surprise though, came when another mouth pressed against his own in a kiss and a pair of arms snaked around the back of his neck, pulling him even closer. It all felt very familiar…

It ended as soon as it had started. A forehead leant against his own; the sound of another persons laboured breathing mixed with his. John opened his eyes briefly and saw flashes of blonde.

"If you ever leave me like that again John Bates, Vera will be the least of your problems."


	2. Sickness

**_A/N- Hey ya'll :) I decided to write about what would've happened if Cora realised what her husband was doing whilst she was sick. I'm not sure 'bout this one…it just kinda..happened. Anyway, I've had a request for the next chappie, which will be about Cora and the Spanish flu but…you'll have to wait and see :) Please review and add to fave's/follow if you thinks it was worthy enough! _**

**_Disclaimer- I don't, never have, never will own Downton Abbey. Or the characters. _**

It was around evening time when Cora finally woke up. It took a few minutes before her head stopped spinning and she was only seeing one of everything. Over the past two days, she'd slipped in and out of consciousness. Cora had gathered (from listening to various conversations) that she had fallen ill with the Spanish flu. She felt as if time were going slowly, as it took longer than usual for her to move her neck from side to side. She glanced over to the vacant chair beside her bedside, where O'Brien had been sitting the last time she had woken up briefly. O'Brien. She was a good maid. Had refused to leave until she was led away. Cora frowned slightly. Was it really wise for no one to be with her now? Sighing, she lay her head back down and thought about Robert.

She felt a slight pang of guilt as she reminisced about how their relationship had been over the past few weeks. She'd been so caught up in the running of Downton, she was afraid she'd neglected him a bit. Hopefully though, he'd understand. Their love was strong and he'd be up soon to see her. Hopefully. Cora was about to close her eyes when she heard strange noises coming from next door. Robert's dressing room. She heard him and…. a woman. She heard giggles…. the sound of kissing…. It hit Cora like a slap to the face. _Of course_. She should've seen the signs. That maid…. Jane was it? She had attracted Robert's attention whilst his own wife lay sick in bed. Silent tears ran down her pale cheeks. He couldn't-_wouldn't_- do that to her… or…would he? Cora blinked back a rush of tears, and lay back down. She must be imagining things. She _was_ sick after all. She closed her eyes and slipped into unconsciousness, the last tears falling from her eyes.


	3. Too Late

**_Disclaimer- In case no-one has realized, I do not own Downton Abbey or any of the characters, _**

Chapter 3- Too Late

Gone.

The one word that tore Robert's world apart. Everything he loved…gone.

He would never see those sparkling blue eyes; never again hear the laugh that never failed to make him smile.

_She _was gone. Carried away by the Spanish flu. Taken away from him forever.

All because of _him_.

He knew she'd heard him and Jane. Yes, he had felt horribly guilty afterwards but he never thought he'd lose the one person dearest to him. Robert gazed at the silent figure of his wife. Her eyes were closed and she was completely still. He grasped her hand, willing that she would open her eyes and smile her delicate smile at him, but he knew, however much he wished, nothing would bring her back.

At least he'd been with her during her last moments. Robert recalled, for the hundredth time, her exact last words she said to him….

_Robert looked fearfully upon his wife. Dr Clarkson was barking orders to the servants, to fetch this, fetch that. Mary and Edith were clasping their Mother's hand, fear clearly evident in their expressions. _

_Cora opened her eyes briefly, pain etched on her flushed face. _

_"Robert…" She murmured._

_Robert was by her side in an instance. Mary and Edith moved away and left the room to give the two of them some privacy. Each had already said goodbye to their mother. _

_"Yes, my darling, I'm here," He clasped her hand, and felt his heart break as he watched her attempt to entwine their fingers. Clearly, she was too weak and gave up. _

_Cora looked up at him, her blue eyes dull and full of pain. "Robert…whatever happens…"_

_"…Nothing is going to happen." He'd interrupted firmly, trying to keep his voice even._

_Cora sighed. "Stop pretending, Robert. It's obvious I'm…" She trailed off, her breathing coming out in short and ragged gasps. "Whatever happens, take care of Downton. Take care of the girls and yourself. But most importantly, take care of the one person you truly love." _

_Robert stared in shock at his wife. "Cora, I…. what do you mean? I love you, no doubt about it!" His voice was beginning to break, as the full reality of the situation made itself known to him. She knew. She thought he didn't love her. She had given up fighting because of him. _

_Cora gazed up at him. "Just...be…happy." She took one last breath. Her hand became limp in his. _

_"No…." Robert watched his wife, begging, praying she had slipped into unconsciousness. But he knew better. "No! Cora, please! Don't do this! I beg of you…"_

_It was then that Robert knew he was too late._

**_A/N- Hola ya'll :) I know, I know…this was NOT what happened in the series. I'm glad it didn't. But I wanted to explore how Robert would feel…oh what the heck, I wanted to make him SUFFER for what he did to Cora. Im also trying to improve my angst/hurt/comfort writing. Please look past the whole death part and enjoy it. I have an English assessment coming up so any writing tips would be greatly appreciated! Oh, and please review and add to fave's/follow if it met your standards :)_**


	4. Nightmare

**_Disclaimer- I do not own Downton Abbey or any of the characters_**

_Darkness. Everywhere. She stumbled blindly, trying to make out objects in the dark. She winced as her knee hit something wooden. And very hard. Cursing under her breath, she gingerly reached out a hand to rest against the object in front. Surprisingly, the object was only about thigh high. Leaning against it, she hoisted herself up, balancing on one knee before slowly standing upright. She took a few steps forward, the wood beneath her feet creaking after each step, as if it would give way at any moment. It dawned on her that she was standing on some type of platform. She squinted in the darkness, trying to make out exactly _what_ she was standing on. Taking a few more steps forward, her forehead came into contact with something else that was also wooden and very hard. Muttering a few mild expletives, she stood up, rubbing her bruised forehead. In front of her, was a wooden post. It was taller than she was and there was something hanging from it. Reaching up, she felt her fingers along the beam until they came to rest on what felt like rope. She tugged on it, but it didn't budge. Reaching up her other hand, she grasped onto the rope firmly and yanked with all her might. The sound of splintering wood and the snap of rope echoed around as she jumped backwards to avoid being hit by anything. When the racket had died down, she took a cautious step forward and bent down. Feeling along the ground until she found the rope, she stood back up and examined it, by running her fingers along it. One end was in the shape of a loop and there was a thick knot at the end. Almost impossible to undo…._

_It was then that it dawned on her just exactly what she was holding._

_It was a hangman's noose. _

**_A/N- Heya ya'll :) I realise that some people weren't able to read this chapter straight away, since it got deleted by accident. It's here now though :) I know it's short, but the next chapters will be longer, I promise! Also, can anyone guess who is having a nightmare? It's pretty obvious but oh well. I know nothing like this ever happened in DA, but someone was bound to have a nightmare, right? Please review and add to fave's if you think it was worthy!_**


End file.
